Which term describes lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole on a map?

• A. Parallels
• B. Equator
• C. Meridians
• D. Latitude lines

Answer: (C)

Lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole are lines of longitude, known as meridians. On a globe, these lines connect the two poles and define how far east or west a location is, measured in degrees of longitude from the Prime Meridian. Parallels, in contrast, run east-west around the globe at constant latitude and never meet; the equator is simply one of these parallels at 0° latitude. Latitude lines is another way to refer to parallels, which describe position north or south of the equator, not north-to-south connections. So meridians best describe those pole-to-pole lines.